Rylan's POV
I felt relief as the servant's words hung in the air. "You are all free to leave," he said, his tone neutral. "The King has decided to give you a second chance. It was your parents' mistake, not yours, after all." He turned on his heel and exited the room, leaving us to our devices.
I was already on my feet, eager to get out of the cold room and back into the bright sunlight. "I'm out of here," Rio said, his voice dripping with disdain. "If our parents have done wrong, that's on them. We didn't ask for this."
Enzo nodded in agreement, his eyes flashing with anger. "We didn't deserve to be punished for their mistakes."
Edward, however, looked hesitant, his brow furrowed in concern. "But we cannot just leave them; they are our parents regardless."
Rio and Enzo looked at Edward as if he were insane. They turned and left the door before another word could be said. Edward turned his focus to me. "What about you, Rylan? Are you going to walk away from our parents?" He wanted to know.
I hesitated, unsure of what to say. Part of me wanted to follow Rio and Enzo, to leave our parents' mistakes behind and start fresh. But another part of me... another part of me wanted to know why our parents had done what they had. I wanted to understand what had driven them to betray us like that.
So I stayed put, stuck between two conflicting emotions: loyalty and anger toward our parents and a desire for answers that seemed out of reach.
"Edward, there is something that I need to do; please go with Rio and Enzo. I will be just fine." I assured him, and he quickly followed the other two. I took a deep breath, getting ready to go, face the king, and ask for permission to see my parents. I needed to know why. Why would they do such a thing?
Walking down the red-carpeted hallways, I was about to turn left to where I thought I needed to be when I spotted Prince Alex and Eliza huddled against the wall, talking quietly between themselves. I could not help but listen to the conversation between Eliza and her brother Alex. My heart pounded as I heard them talking about Luna Lara and Alpha Morgan—my parents. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Luna Lara was not fated to be with Alpha Morgan? That meant she was meant to be with Theron. No wonder our packs hated each other. Not only had they never declared that they were finding a newborn baby, but they had also kept their secret of not being genuinely fated. How could my parents do that? They had lied to us all.
I felt like I had been punched in the gut. I couldn't breathe.
As I listened to Eliza and Alex talking about how Alpha Morgan stole her away from Theron, I felt a ripple of anger and hurt. Why had he done that? Why had he lied to me and made me believe they were a real love story?
And then it hit me - my father's motives for making us take Daniella as our chosen mate. He knew our mother wasn't meant for him, but he didn't care. He wanted us to be happy, but not with the one who was meant for us. He wanted us to be with someone else, someone who would make him powerful and look better than other packs. My father was power-hungry and did not care who he hurt to get to the top.
I felt like I was going to pass out. My head was spinning with thoughts and emotions. How could my father do this to us? How could he manipulate us like that?
I slowly backed away, trying not to make a sound. I didn't want Eliza and Alex to know I was listening to their conversation. I needed time to process what I had just heard.
I knew that I wasn't the only one who was angry. My brothers would be furious when they found out.
I decided to talk to them. We needed to figure out what to do next. We needed to control our lives and make our own decisions. We couldn't let our parents continue to manipulate us.
"Brothers, I have terrible news." I closed my eyes and linked my brothers.
"What did you hear?" Rio asked, his voice low and angry.
"I heard that Luna Lara and Alpha Morgan's mate bond wasn't real," I said, my voice steady. "And that our parents knew it all along. Our mother was fated to Theron," I told them.
"Rylan, we are going home. Let's leave this place and focus on our pack. Our parents deserve to be punished for their crimes." My brothers clicked off our link, and I stood alone in the halls.
I was lost in thought, still trying to process the revelation about my parents' deception, when suddenly I felt it. A sharp, intense connection that pierced my mind like a knife.
I instantly knew it was a mind link from our younger brother, Grayson. I could feel his rage and madness coursing through the connection like a toxic flood.
"What is it?" I demanded my voice tight with anxiety.
"You fools," Grayson's voice echoed in my mind. "You think you can defy father? You think you can defy me? I have taken control of the pack. Your parents are no more. And now, it's time for you and your quadruplet brothers to join them."
My heart was racing, and I felt my brothers' minds snapping into awareness. We all knew what was happening. Grayson had gone crazy, and he was coming for us.
"We won't go quietly," Rio growled, his voice a low snarl.
"Oh, you will," Grayson sneered. "You'll beg for mercy before I'm done with you. You see, I've been waiting for this moment. I've been planning this for years. And now, with our parents out of the way, no one can stop me."
I could feel Grayson's power coursing through the link, making my head spin. He was a force to be reckoned with, and we were in grave danger. The link cut off as suddenly as it had started.
"Get ready," Enzo warned. "He's going to come at us with everything he has."
I nodded, my mind racing with strategies and plans. We had to protect ourselves and regain control of the pack. I ran out of the palace and saw them sitting on the steps.
Then I looked up and spotted Theron walking towards an awaiting black SUV. I knew how powerful his pack was; maybe he would help us. We could make amends and all live in peaceful harmony. Before I could stop myself, I ran to catch him up. My three brothers called out after me, but I ignored their confused states.
"Alpha Theorn, we need your help."
"Me? You are asking me for help?" He spun around and glared at me as if I were trying to trick him into a trap.
"Me? You are asking me for help?" Theron repeated, his voice laced with confusion and scepticism.
I nodded, trying to keep my composure despite the turmoil. "Yes, Alpha Theron. You're the only one who can help us. Grayson has taken over the pack, and he's coming for us. He wants us dead."
Theron's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing. "What happened?"
I took a deep breath and recounted what I had learned from the mind link. "Grayson said that our parents are no more and we're next. He's been planning this for years, and now that our parents are out of the way, there's no one to stop him."
Theron's face hardened, his jaw clenched in anger. "I'll take care of Grayson," he growled.